Outlook (19-05-2006) No ‘convergence’ in Mideast peace process by Mai Hien Never before has people raised more doubts about the Mideast peace process, as Israel and Palestine are at odds over how to proceed with long-stagnant peace talks. The internationally-backed "roadmap," which envisions the ultimate establishment of a Palestinian State alongside Israel, launched in 2003, seems to have never got off the ground as the two sides failed to implement their initial obligations. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said he is ready to resume negotiations immediately and he proposed opening "a back channel of talks" to US officials and Shimon Peres, a former Israeli prime minister who has spearheaded peace efforts in the past. Abbas told the Israeli daily Maariv that Israel should not be deterred from renewing peace talks despite Hamas’s control of the Palestinian Authority. Observers say Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is likely to meet Abbas in the coming weeks … [Read more...] about No ‘convergence’ in Mideast peace process
New york jewish week
Son-in-law Kushner poised to wield clout in Trump presidency
After winning a primary election that effectively clinched the Republican presidential nomination, Donald Trump paused to laud a boyish-looking 35-year-old who ultimately proved to be an indispensable figure on the path to the White House. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump greets his daughter Ivanka and son in law Jared Kushner (R) at his election night rally in Manhattan, New York, U.S., November 9, 2016. "Honestly, Jared is a very successful real estate person. But I actually think he likes politics more than he likes real estate," Trump said of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, standing to his right during a victory speech after the Indiana party primary election in May. "But he's very good at politics." Kushner, the slender, clean-cut New Jersey real estate scion who married Trump's daughter Ivanka in 2009, helped guide the Republican Trump to … [Read more...] about Son-in-law Kushner poised to wield clout in Trump presidency
Innovation Week 2016 – Talk with Artist UuDam Tran Nguyen
Time: August 18 Venue: Hanoi Science and Technology University, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Hanoi Innovation Week 2016 is a week of lectures, talks, and workshops focus by famous guest speakers around the topic ‘innovation” in Hanoi. This is an opportunity for participants to learn from the speakers’ creativive process and how to harvest energies from being innovative. Artist UuDam Nguyen will talk about the process of collaborating with application developers and programers to build the License 2 Draw app as part of his work of the same name. The app allows users from all over the world to physically use robots to draw on a canvas that is set up by a couple of robots. UuDam Tran Nguyen is a Vietnamese-born conceptual artist. He grew up in different parts of Vietnam and the USA. UuDam was trained as a sculptor at the HCM Fine Art University. He got his B.A. from UCLA & MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York. He lives and works in HCM … [Read more...] about Innovation Week 2016 – Talk with Artist UuDam Tran Nguyen
Palestine submits to UN new draft resolution on ending Israeli occupation
(VOVworld) – On Monday Palestine submitted to the UN Security Council a new draft resolution urging an end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and recognizing the 1967 borders toward establishing an independent Palestinian state. A UN vote on the resolution will be held this week despite US opposition. The resolution, submitted by Jordan appeals to the UN Security Council to support a 3-year roadmap to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. The document also calls for UN recognition of East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine and the issuance of a statement saying that Israel’s barriers in the West Bank are illegal, and urges the UN to ask Israel to free Palestinian prisoners and end the construction of new Jewish settlements. … [Read more...] about Palestine submits to UN new draft resolution on ending Israeli occupation
Amid differences, Israel’s Netanyahu to seek reassurances from Obama on Iran
President Barack Obama and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu meet for a new round in their often-tense relationship on Wednesday, facing differences over Iran diplomacy and Middle East peace efforts as well as complications from the U.S.-led fight against Islamic State militants. Hosting the Israeli prime minister in a brief visit to Washington, Obama is expected to try to find common ground with Israel, a traditionally close ally, on the most pressing issues but may have a difficult time narrowing the gap. Netanyahu has set Iran as his top priority in the White House talks. He will seek Obama’s assurance that he will stick to his pledge that “no deal is better than a bad deal” in Tehran’s nuclear talks with world powers aimed at reaching a final agreement in November, an Israeli official said. While Obama probably will try to ease Netanyahu’s suspicions about diplomacy with Iran, the U.S. president will stop short of meeting the Israeli demand that Tehran … [Read more...] about Amid differences, Israel’s Netanyahu to seek reassurances from Obama on Iran